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We’re truly living in remarkable times. Our world has changed dramatically in the past 100 years, and advancements in medicine and technology have not only exceeded our expectations, but also shifted our culture. In 1900, it was commonplace for children to die unexpectedly. In fact, 1 in 3 children died before their first birthday. The leading causes contributing to overall death at the time were pneumonia, influenza, tuberculosis and diarrhea-related illnesses, and 40 percent of these deaths occurred in the most...

If you’re making a home safe for infants or children, you should always sweat the small things – sharp corners, chemicals under the sink, electrical outlets and even laundry detergent pods are potential hazards for little ones. Forgetting anything? I didn’t mention a common household item that might not be top-of-mind for most: the small button batteries inside many of our electronic devices.

Every three hours, a child will visit an emergency department after consuming a battery. In fact, button battery...

Images courtesy of Denise Carter

Caitlin Carter, bone marrow recipient

When my pediatrician recommended a complete blood count (CBC) during one of my annual appointments, I was angry because it wasn’t a requirement. I wasn’t any happier when we had to keep returning for additional testing because my counts were low. When this journey started, I remember feeling frustrated after visiting so many different doctors and still not identifying what was wrong. I don’t blame them, though. The condition I was eventually diagnosed with was so rare, and they couldn’t have known.

I’m sitting at my desk, and I can feel my blood pressure start to rise as my legs begin shaking. I swipe back and forth vigorously on my phone, hoping a text message will appear with every stroke of my finger.

It’s 9:03 p.m. “He was supposed to call me three minutes ago,” I think to myself. The rational side of me tries to become the voice of reason. “It’s fine – he probably stopped to take a break because it’s so hot outside, or maybe he just forgot to text me when he got home.”

I get a lot of questions regarding heightened exposure to incidents involving suicide, primarily from caregivers of teenagers and young adolescents. In today’s world, our young ones have more access to constant news coverage and limitless amounts of digital media content (films, series, video games, etc.) than ever before.

How do we help teenagers process what they’re seeing and hearing about suicide without frightening them or sensationalizing the subject?